Solanaceae is a
family of
flowering plants that includes a number of important
agricultural crops. Many species are
toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the
Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear. Most likely, the name comes from the perceived resemblance that some of the flowers bear to the
sun and its
rays, and in fact a species of Solanum is known as the "sunberry". Alternatively, the name has been suggested to originate from the
Latin verb solari, meaning "to soothe". This presumably refers to soothing
pharmacological properties of some of the
psychoactive species of the family.